Poetic Ammo
Encyclopedia
Poetic Ammo was a Malaysian rap/hip-hop
group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran Veerasingam (a.k.a Yogi B), Chandrakumar Balakrishnan (a.k.a Land Slyde), Nicholas Ong (a.k.a Point Blanc), and Sashi Kumar Balakrishnan (a.k.a C. Loco.) Although most of the groups songs were written in English, they also released tracks in Malay
, Tamil
, and Cantonese
.
. The first singles they released with Kenny Music (Kenny Remy Martin) were "Run" and "Only You", released under Positive Tone
.
Anand later left DEFX and set up another underground rap group with Amoo Tha (also known as Jason), and they called themselves THA 2.O, with a music style of hardcore rap and g-funk
. Anand was the vocalist and Jason was the turntablist
in the band. Their shows were arranged by Siva Saga Entertainment. Anand left the group after he married Sherina, and Jason continued solo
, but his solo album was never released due to censorship
issues.
(AIM) Music Awards 1999, and the "Best Music Video" awards in the AIM in 2000 and 2001.
Point Blanc started his independent Voyeur Records, and came out with several singles like "Ipoh Mali" and "KL Leng Chai" in 2007. Later that year, he released "Straight To The Point", his solo LP, and also released his clothing line "Voyeurizm".
Landslyde formed his own rap metal band, Dragon Red
. They won the Best New Local English Artist in the 2007 AIM Awards. Landslyde is the only person who has won the award twice.
C Loco, now known as Sashi C Loco, pursued a solo career and released a single, "Legend of Boo". He was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie "Sumo-Lah" with the song "V.V.I.P". He recently released his next single in Malay, titled "Bintang" and featuring Moe Nasrul. Reportedly his next English song is titled "Hip Hop", and it features a Hindi chorus sung by a new talent named Rekka.
In late 2009, Landslyde was interviewed with his band Dragon Red, on the Hitz FM MET 10, during which he explained the reasons why the band split. That year, Sashi C Loco was interviewed on the same show, and mentioned that he is keen on the idea of a reunion should matters within the individual members be resolved.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran Veerasingam (a.k.a Yogi B), Chandrakumar Balakrishnan (a.k.a Land Slyde), Nicholas Ong (a.k.a Point Blanc), and Sashi Kumar Balakrishnan (a.k.a C. Loco.) Although most of the groups songs were written in English, they also released tracks in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, and Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
.
Beginning
The group was founded by Yogi B in 1990. The original members of Poetic Ammo were Yogi B and Anand, and they were formerly known as DEFX. They became popular amongst local clubs and pubs such as Piccadilly, Canton City, Party Box and others in Petaling JayaPetaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
. The first singles they released with Kenny Music (Kenny Remy Martin) were "Run" and "Only You", released under Positive Tone
Positive Tone
Positive Tone is a Malaysian music production house and it is a subsidiary of EMI Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Some of the company's famous act includes Too Phat, Poetic Ammo, Juliet the Orange, Red Hot Reiner Peppers and Innuendo. The current Managing Director is Darren Choy....
.
Anand later left DEFX and set up another underground rap group with Amoo Tha (also known as Jason), and they called themselves THA 2.O, with a music style of hardcore rap and g-funk
G-funk
G-funk, or Gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that emerged from Westcoast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-funk incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-funk tunes, and a high-pitched...
. Anand was the vocalist and Jason was the turntablist
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
in the band. Their shows were arranged by Siva Saga Entertainment. Anand left the group after he married Sherina, and Jason continued solo
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
, but his solo album was never released due to censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
issues.
Height and Achievements
Their first album, entitled It's a Nice Day to be Alive, was released in 1998, and received positive reviews and several awards. This was followed by their second album, entitled The World is Yours (2000). Their third album was entitled Return of Tha' Boombox. The band has won numerous awards including the "Best English Album" award in the Malaysian Anugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri Muzik
Anugerah Industri Muzik , is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy.-Best Album:-Best Song:...
(AIM) Music Awards 1999, and the "Best Music Video" awards in the AIM in 2000 and 2001.
Current
Recently Yogi B released an album titled Vallavan, in collaboration with Natchatra, after which he was approached by Kollywood (Tamil) music director G.V. Prakash, to produce and perform in a song alongside S.P. Balasubramaniam, for the movie Pollathavan (2007), starring Dhanush. They are often referred as Kavidhai Kundargal. Yogi B also made an appearance with Emcee Jeszin in the movie Kuruvi, starring Vijay, during a song number.Point Blanc started his independent Voyeur Records, and came out with several singles like "Ipoh Mali" and "KL Leng Chai" in 2007. Later that year, he released "Straight To The Point", his solo LP, and also released his clothing line "Voyeurizm".
Landslyde formed his own rap metal band, Dragon Red
Dragon Red
Dragon Red was the mastermind of Landslyde, of the former Poetic Ammo fame, which started out at the end of 2001 with the guitarist Amil Khan and the vocalist Adam Lobo and subsequently to evolutionary changes in the composition, currently features Manshaan Singh on the drums and Kamarul on...
. They won the Best New Local English Artist in the 2007 AIM Awards. Landslyde is the only person who has won the award twice.
C Loco, now known as Sashi C Loco, pursued a solo career and released a single, "Legend of Boo". He was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie "Sumo-Lah" with the song "V.V.I.P". He recently released his next single in Malay, titled "Bintang" and featuring Moe Nasrul. Reportedly his next English song is titled "Hip Hop", and it features a Hindi chorus sung by a new talent named Rekka.
Reunion
There has been talk of the group reuniting since early 2007, although no official confirmations of denials of this have been released by any of the members.In late 2009, Landslyde was interviewed with his band Dragon Red, on the Hitz FM MET 10, during which he explained the reasons why the band split. That year, Sashi C Loco was interviewed on the same show, and mentioned that he is keen on the idea of a reunion should matters within the individual members be resolved.